


What we do in the sunlight

by Circeancity



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Hurt Shiro (Voltron), Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mild Blood, Vampires, background vampire plot stuff, but the fic it's self is just...two guys being dudes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-02
Updated: 2018-01-02
Packaged: 2019-02-26 15:43:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,342
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13238898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Circeancity/pseuds/Circeancity
Summary: When Hunk helps a stranger in need, he learns about a world hidden beneath the surface of his own and accidentally makes an unusual friend in the process. Though initially suspicious, he's ready for wherever this venture takes him...more or less.





	What we do in the sunlight

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this for the Aphelion Zine which came out a few months back, so I'm excited to finally be able to post this to the public and get feedback!  
> I made a few edits, but for the most part it's exactly as it was published ^^

    It was dangerous to walk the streets at night lately, Hunk had told his friends. People were disappearing. If they needed to be out late, they could call him to come with, if they wanted. Safety in numbers and all that.

    “Do as I say, not as I do,” was another thing he told them often. So it was around midnight when Hunk himself left the corner store and started his walk home through near pitch darkness. He was alone and just a little bit tipsy, with a multicolored slushie in one hand and a plastic bag full of empty calories in the other. A small part of him thought he should be worried, but he figured it was the anxiety talking. It could talk all it wanted, it wasn’t gonna break through his buzz. Besides, the night was calm, the road home short and well-lit by streetlights. He had nothing to worry about. 

    He hummed to himself as he walked, muttering words as they came to fill up his nonsense tune. The song shaped itself into a boast about how he had six black belts and had won an Olympic gold medal in kidnapper-killing. Okay, maybe he was a  _ little _ worried. Home wasn’t too far off though; only a few more blocks.

    As Hunk picked up speed, he noticed a large dark stain on the sidewalk several feet ahead. It was hidden between two streetlights, in the puddle of shadow where neither lamp could quite reach, and trailing over into the alley between two stores closed for the night. As he got closer, he started to realize it was blood. His heart raced as he ran through the possibilities of what could have made it. The last disappearance happened all the way across town, it couldn’t have been that guy! Could it? He froze in place, hands shaking. 

    He should — he should go back to the store. Or run to Lance’s house. Or to the police station. Or —

    A pained whine sounded from inside the alley. 

    Despite the alarms blaring in his mind, Hunk dropped his things and ran towards the noise. He braced himself as he turned the corner, expecting to see a murder in progress. For half a second, he thought he did, until he realized that only the victim remained.

    A man was slumped against the wall, holding his side. Blood was splattered all over his clothes and death-pale skin. “Holy shit. Hey, what happened?” Hunk kneeled by his side as he took out his phone. 

    “Nothing. Mind your own business,” the man said. He turned away from Hunk, brilliant white bangs falling over his tightly shut eyes.

    “No way, I’m calling an ambulance. Sh-should I get the cops too?” He cursed his shaking hands as he failed to unlock his phone.

    Suddenly the man’s eyes shot open. He shakily rose up from the ground, still bracing himself against the wall. “No! No. No cops, no hospital. Leave me alone!” He started walking further into the alley. His voice was strained, panicked. 

    Hunk grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back, earning another pained noise. “You need help. You’re bleeding!”

    “Happens,” the man mumbled, trying to wrench himself out of Hunk’s grasp. Whether Hunk was too strong or he was too weak, neither of them could tell, but he wasn’t getting free any time soon. He looked back towards Hunk, eyes wide with fear. “Please don’t call anyone. They can’t find me. Just let me go.” Dear god, was he drunk? Or crazy? Both?

    The wound must have been aggravated when he stood, because Hunk could see a trail of the man’s blood along the wall. At the sight, the world spun, and he tried to take a deep, steadying breath. “I already told you, I can’t. You need help. Is there anyone else I can call?”

    “I can’t go back. Th-they can’t find me.” The man’s words started slurring. He tried to pull away again to no avail. 

    In a last ditch attempt to get away, the man turned back towards Hunk and drove a fist right into his stomach. 

    Hunk staggered back a few steps, losing his grip as the impact knocked the wind out of him. He could see a glint of red in the man’s eyes when the streetlights reflected off them. He was...remarkably strong for someone so injured, Hunk thought as the man made his daring escape.

    Said escape took him five feet further into the alley before he collapsed. 

    Hunk looked from the injured, possibly unhinged stranger to his phone. He should call someone, get the man to a real hospital, but his fingers froze above the number pad. The panicked look, the flash of red, his insistent, terrified cries of “They can’t find me”, all that stuck with Hunk. And though it may have been the handful of beers he’d had before leaving his house, it all seemed to mean something. 

    He stuffed his phone back in his pocket and grabbed the now unconscious man, propping him up on his shoulder. “I can’t just let you die out here,” Hunk muttered, “but if you kill me in my sleep I’m gonna haunt your ass until the end of time, you hear me?” Only four more blocks to his house; Hunk could do that. The stranger bobbed in and out of wakefulness as they walked, though he was never fully lucid. He murmured some cryptic shit in his sleep every now and then, but was never able to answer any of Hunk’s questions. A few names came up often, and the concept of “turning”, but fuck if Hunk could glean anything from the rest of the nonsense. He did finally learn the man’s name though.

    “Ryou...no that's...I‘m Shiro. Ryou isn’t…‘e hasn’t...”

    Hunk took them through the back entrance. Nobody in their right mind was awake, but there was no such thing as being too careful. Especially when sneaking a mysterious, bloody stranger into your apartment. Thankfully, they were able to get inside without issue.

    He gingerly placed Shiro on the couch, not worrying about the stains that would absolutely ruin it come morning. He stepped back warily, like Shiro might jump up and attack. “Hey, don’t...don’t go anywhere. A-and don’t die. I’ll be right back.”

    Hunk scurried off and returned in record time with a first aid kit and a wet towel.  He took another steadying breath as he tried to assess the situation. “Okay Hunk, you did first aid in the boy scouts. This...probably isn’t any harder than that.”

    First step, take off his shirt and clean everything up so you can see the wound. Easy. Shiro’s shirt was already badly torn over his wounds, so it needed less to be taken off than it did to be torn away.  As his hands brushed over Shiro’s skin, Hunk realized he was completely cold. His breath caught in his throat at the idea of having a corpse on his couch, but Shiro started mumbling again, somewhat alleviating that fear. Hunk tossed the bloody scraps of shirt aside and set to work, periodically checking if his “patient” was still alive. Human blood wasn’t this dark, or thick, he was sure of that.

    Some time and all of his gauze later, Shiro was all patched up. Hunk stood back and watched as his chest slowly rose and fell, a little proud of his work. Whoever Shiro was, he was handsome when he wasn’t spouting nonsense in an alley. Hunk grabbed the blanket off the back of the couch and draped it over him. He was too cold; he needed it. And maybe Hunk would turn up the heat.

    He passed the kitchen on the way to his room and got the brilliant and possibly life-saving idea to take all the knives with him. 

_     Just _ in case.

    It was too damn hot. Not like the sun, the stinging, rippling heat like grease flying off a pan, and not like fire. It was heavy, stifling, like a fever. Shiro opened his eyes and winced at the light. Morning. Excellent. 

    While his eyes adjusted, Shiro began to realize just how  _ hungry _ he was. Emptiness gnawed at him from within, his throat almost burning with need. He sat up slowly, ignoring the pain that shot through his side as best he could. He was in someone’s living room, tucked under a blanket on their couch. A little down the hall, from what he assumed was the kitchen, came the sound of something frying in a pan.

    Memories from the night before came flooding back to him. He had been safe, hidden away for the night where no reasonable human would think to look. Unfortunately, humans weren’t always reasonable. Some guy approached him. His memories were fuzzy, but he remembered the words “help”, “hospital”, and “police” having been thrown around quite often. Either hospitals looked different since he’d last been in one, or he somehow convinced the man to take him home instead.

    What the hell? No! This was worse! This was  _ way _ worse! 

    Shiro shot up off the couch and started pacing. At least at a hospital he would’ve been able to get blood. From there, he could’ve healed and ran away by the next night. Here? Here, he was trapped. He wasn’t strong enough to fight off this human and however many others lived with him. He had no way of contacting his brother. He had no way of quenching his godforsaken thirst!

    Shiro stopped, the room around him seeming to spin for a second. Okay, deep breaths. Worrying would get him nowhere. Surely his host had a phone, so contacting Ryou was possible. That was step one. 

    Just as Shiro stalked out of the living room to find said phone, the human emerged from his kitchen, holding a steaming plate of eggs. He jumped back, startled. 

    Shiro held up a hand and backed up. “Uh, morning.”

    “Y-yeah, good morning....how’re you feeling?” The other man looked Shiro up and down, concern showing in his warm brown eyes. Shiro looked down, too, and saw the bandages from last night were soaked through with now dried blood.

    “Better,” Shiro said, suddenly very aware that he shouldn’t be better, that a normal person would  _ not _ be better.

    The human didn’t seem to mind; he smiled. “Cool. You uh, you hungry?” He looked down at his plate, vaguely offering to cook some more.

    It took all of his willpower to refuse and still sound casual about it. “Nah, thanks though.” 

    “Suit yourself.” The other man walked past him and into the living room. The scent of his blood rose up around Shiro as he followed, mouth watering at just the thought of it. 

    They sat on opposite ends of the couch. The human turned on the TV and started to dig into his breakfast.

    “I should...probably thank you,” Shiro said eventually. “Especially for not telling anyone about me. You didn’t have to do any of this and I really owe you. My name is Shiro, by the way.”

    The human swallowed and smiled at him. “I know; you told me while I was walking you home. I’m Hunk. I just didn’t wanna be responsible for someone dying y’know?” Hunk said it like that was an everyday occurrence to him, or to anyone for that matter.

    “Wait, I was talking to you?” Shiro’s eyes widened. What did he say? Shit, Hunk might know everything now. 

    Hunk waved his fork dismissively, “Not really to me. It was just a bunch of nonsense.”

    Shiro let out a sigh of relief, sinking back into the couch...

    “So was that all bullshit or could you, like,  _ actually _ not go to the hospital?”

    ..and stiffened right back up. “I can’t. Or the police, which is probably what you’re going to say next. And I can’t tell you why.”

    Hunk frowned,. “Okay...then is there somewhere else I can drop you off? Because I have work at twelve and I don’t want to leave you alone in my house. Not that I don’t trust you, I just...yeah, I don’t trust you.”

    Shiro wracked his brain for anywhere he could go, any possible safe haven in the entire city. He looked out the window, where the sun beat relentlessly down on the building’s parking lot. Not a cloud in sight. “I can’t leave.”

    Hunk placed his plate down on the side table with a clatter and turned to Shiro. “What?” he said, brow wrinkling in confusion and annoyance.

    “I physically cannot leave this apartment. I’d like to, but I can’t.”

    Hunk stared him down, blinking vacantly in confusion and exasperation. “Are you gonna explain then, or…?”

    “Are you gonna believe me?”

    “Less now since you had to ask that, but go ahead.”

    Shiro took a deep breath, wondering where to even start. He decided the beginning, the very baseline of what was going on, would be a good place. “Humans often don’t notice things that are right in front of them, even if they’ve been there for years. That's where most conspiracies come from, actually. People make up these crazy stories to justify things they could easily understand if — whatever. That's all off topic. Point is, there are things that are even crazier than what I’m about to tell you, so keep that in mind.”

    “Got it.” Hunk nodded, raising an eyebrow.

    It took Shiro a second to gather his thoughts. He wondered, briefly, if he should just back out. If what he was about to say would be too strange to believe. “I’m a vampire. One of many in this city. I can’t leave because it’s daytime. If I go out in the sun too long, I could die. And I have nowhere else — ”

    Hunk held up his hand. “Nope, no, stop. No, you’re not. This is bullshit.”

    “It’s true!” Shiro leaned forward; a bad move considering he already had a hard time handling the smell of blood right now. 

    “Then prove it.” 

    Shiro blinked, and when he opened his eyes again they were a deep red. He bared his teeth for the skeptical human, fangs quickly growing to their full size. “Good enough?” he asked, mumbling a little around his inch-long teeth.

    It must have been, because Hunk jumped off the couch and held his hands in front of him, his shaking fingers in a vague a cross shape. “What the hell!”

    “Calm down,” Shiro said, returning to normal. “I’m not going to hurt you. You did save my life, after all.”

    Warily, Hunk went back to his seat. “Yeah, true.” He laughed nervously, “I guess you kinda owe me one.” They sat in slightly uncomfortable silence as Hunk grabbed his breakfast and started eating it again. 

    There was some ghost hunting show on TV. Ludicrously fake, but it filled the dead air and allowed Shiro to focus on something other than his gnawing hunger. They were investigating a “haunted” boathouse on a lake where — oh shit, the lake. Shiro was supposed to meet Keith and Ryou at the docks last night. Hopefully they had realized he wasn’t coming and moved on. Maybe tonight he’d meet them at —

    “Oh, wait a sec,” Hunk turned to him with a curious look on his face. “Are you...hungry or anything?”

    Yes, god yes. He was starving and every second sitting next to a human that smelled this delicious was torture. Shiro forced a shrug. “A bit. But I don't exactly eat” — Hunk offered his arm, awkwardly holding it out between them — “food...Are you sure?”

    “Look, I know you're a vampire and shit, but...I need proof I'm not dreaming. So this’ll kill two birds with one stone, right?” He sounded unsure, but he didn’t move away.   
Shiro shrugged. “Okay...it usually works better from the neck though”

    “Easier to kill me from there, too. Just because I believe you doesn’t mean I trust you.”

    Shiro decided not to press his luck lest Hunk go back on his offer. He leaned in and sank his teeth into the other man’s muscular arm, resisting the urge to groan in delight as the warm, coppery taste flooded his mouth.

    Hunk winced, but seemed to resist the urge to drag his arm back. He surprised Shiro with his patience as the vampire drank his fill. Well, half his fill. Or less. Just enough. His conscience wouldn’t let him take too much from his generous host. 

    Shiro had to force himself to pull away after a minute. The back of his throat was practically screaming for more, but he hid it rather well. When he looked up, Hunk had a dazed look in his eyes. Oh god, he only drank a little bit, it shouldn’t have had that much of an effect on him.

    Hunk blinked a few times and raised an eyebrow. “Jeez, maybe I should’ve finished breakfast first? Everything’s kinda...fuzzy.”

    “Yeah, that happens. Are you gonna be okay for work?”

    His comment was waved off as Hunk checked the clock. “I’ve got plenty of time. Don’t worry about it.”

    Time passed leisurely as Hunk finished his breakfast and started getting ready for work. Shiro became engrossed by the television. The show about ghost hunters gave way to a hypnotizing program showcasing how everyday objects were made. 

    “Do vampires have TV?” Hunk asked as he passed by, carrying a basket of clean clothes.

    “No.” Shiro said sarcastically. “We live in caves and watch the rats fight for entertainment.”

    “Cool.”

    Later, Hunk emerged in what Shiro assumed was his uniform. A red shirt with a colorful logo on the breast, black pants, and a funny little hat. It was so...normal, Shiro couldn’t help but smile as Hunk checked himself in the hall mirror.

    “Yeah, I see you. Laugh it up, Dracula.” There was no malice in his words; he even smirked. “Anyway, I’ve gotta head out now. I know you can’t leave, so you can stay, but...if you make a mess or invite over any of your undead friends, I’m coming back with  _ so much _ garlic.”

    Shiro held up his hands in mock defense. “I won’t. You have my word.” He smiled, “Though you might want to leave the garlic at the store. Doesn’t work.”

    “At all?” 

    “Nope. Silver does though, go raid a jewelry store.”

    “Agh, if I had the money for that I wouldn’t be working at Sal’s.” He groaned good-naturedly and walked out the door, slamming it behind him.

    Blood red eyes scanned the sky outside, still a long way until sundown. If he was lucky, he might be able to leave before Hunk came home.

    But he doubted it.

 

    The sun was still beating down on the pavement as Hunk pulled into the apartment building parking lot. His shoulders ached, and the cut on his hand still stung (his own fault for being so unfocused). Still, he was eager to talk to Shiro again, maybe get down to the bottom of this vampire thing. Like why hadn’t he found out about them until now? Were they the ones that left Shiro in the alley? Why? Was he some kind of vampire super criminal? Or maybe he was on the run from some vampire hunters! 

    Hunk took the stairs by twos as he ran to his apartment. The earring he took from the lost and found jingled inside his shirt pocket. It was silver. Well, probably silver. It looked silver at least. He hoped it would be good enough to protect him in case any other mortally-wounded vampires dropped into his life.

    The curtains of his front window were drawn shut. He knew it was probably just because the sunlight made Shiro uncomfortable, but that didn’t stop a small knot from forming in his stomach. He unlocked the door and swung it open, revealing his darkened living room. The room was silent, empty. He felt the same sense of dread he got when watching characters make bad decisions in horror movies. 

    Hunk flicked on the lightswitch, expecting Shiro to scurry, hissing, from his hiding place. The room stayed still however. He stepped in quietly, closing the door behind him with his foot. “Shiro? You still here?” He thought about the earring in his breast pocket, and how it was way too small to actually defend himself with. It probably wasn't even real silver. Oh god. He let a  _ vampire  _ into his house! What was he thinking? Why didn’t he just call 911? Why did he listen to the insane ramblings of —

    Shiro popped in from around the corner, smiling. “Yeah man, still here.” 

    Hunk jumped backwards, hands flailing out to catch himself as he almost fell. 

    Shiro chuckled, putting a hand in front of his mouth. Hunk wondered if that was to hide his fangs or just something he did.

    “D-don’t laugh! You freaked me out,” Hunk spluttered, face reddening. 

    “Sorry. I didn't think you scared that easily.”

    Whatever. Hunk walked past his shirtless houseguest and towards his room, stopping when he noticed most of the bandages were gone. He spun to face Shiro. “Wait, what happened to all the blood?”

    Shiro raised an eyebrow and looked down at himself. “Oh, right. When I drank from you, I started healing. It happens pretty fast normally, but blood helps.”

    Hunk nodded slowly, looking over Shiro’s previously mangled skin. Only faint scars remained. Without those, he looked as smooth and well built as a marble statue. It took some effort for Hunk to tear his gaze away. He hoped Shiro didn’t notice. “Oh yeah, I totally ruined your shirt last night,” he said. “I'll see if I have something old you can borrow?” Shiro was much taller but Hunk was thickset; it wouldn’t be much of a problem finding something for him.

    “Oh, no I'm already imposing. I couldn't ask for — ”

    “No it's cool.” Hunk started back towards his room. They had just gotten over the awkward silence stage and damn if Hunk would be able to act normal with Edward Cullen over there lounging around like some kind of underwear model.

    Hunk emerged from his room some time later in comfortable clothes and holding a shirt he was pretty sure fit Shiro. He was going to just throw it at him, but something made him stop just outside the living room.

    The tension in the room made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. The TV was on again, but Shiro seemed on edge— every muscle drawn back, poised to strike. He was stone still, not even breathing. On the screen, a news broadcast on the recent disappearances was airing. Names and photos of missing persons flashed across the screen. Suddenly, the pieces connected.

    Hunk approached gingerly, making sure to get in Shiro’s line of sight, just in case he panicked and lashed out. Shiro’s eyes darted towards him. He gave a sharp nod of acknowledgment and turned back to the news, entranced and enraged.

    “That one of you?” Hunk asked, falling in next to him.

    Shiro held out his hand, bristling at the wording as Hunk handed him the shirt. “That's Lotor’s work,” he said as he pulled it on. “He's another vampire, but as far from ‘one of us’ as it gets. Old as hell, says he came from Romania. He’s preaching some stupid gospel about the fall of mankind and the age of the dead.”

    “Sounds like a bad horror movie,” Hunk replied.

    “Yeah, too bad it's working. Undead or not, it takes a lot of manpower to kidnap that many people. I’d guess by now he’s got nearly every vampire on the city wrapped around his finger.”

    “Yeesh, all of them? I mean there aren’t that many cases — ”

    “There are if you think about all the ones they’re not reporting.”

    Hunk went silent for a second, reading the names as they scrolled along the bottom of the screen as the newscasters changed subjects. “What are they taking them for?” His voice was hushed, as if knowing would make him a target.

    Shiro chewed his lip in thought. “Feeders mostly. But the strong ones will be turned and trained as soldiers for Lotor’s army.”

    “...Feeders?” Hunk’s eyes widened in disbelief.

    “Can't destroy humanity on an empty stomach.” Shiro sneered at the TV. He then turned back to Hunk with an almost bashful look. “Speaking of, healing takes a lot of energy, and I had a light breakfast.”

    Surprised at his own lack of apprehension, Hunk held out his arm. “I'm guessing you're against this guy since you haven’t killed me yet.”

    “I'm actually the head of the ‘against this guy’ faction,” Shiro bragged, but his proud posture withered quickly. “Or at least I tried to be. Then they tore me up and left me for dead. Or for you, rather.” 

    “Why didn't they just kill y — ow!” Hunk yelped and tried to pull his arm away, only making it worse for both of them.

    Shiro let go and allowed Hunk to take back his arm, a look of disappointment and hunger flashing across his face as he saw drops of blood start to bead up from the wound. “I told you arms were harder to work with.”

    Grumbling, Hunk scooted closer and leaned his head away from Shiro, bearing his neck for the undead outlaw. Shiro leaned in close. His skin brushed against Hunk’s, unexpectedly cold, enough to send a shiver down his spine. He bit down quickly. It felt almost like getting a shot — if the needle had soft lips and rough fingers that threaded through his hair.

    It only took a few seconds for the world to turn fuzzy, and for Hunk to start feeling light-headed. He leaned into Shiro, humming contentedly. The pain from the bite faded to the background. For a moment, he was worried he was dying, but it passed. Faded away with everything else into a pleasant bliss.

 

    When he had his fill, Shiro broke away. Already, he felt stronger. Hunk swayed slightly in his arms. Shiro wondered why he agreed to that, to any of this really. Hunk was too kind for his own good. A surge of protectiveness ran through Shiro. Where was he? Lotor. Factions. Fighting.  _ Right _ . “Anyway, Lotor said himself that he wanted to teach me a lesson. He probably thinks I’ll get scared and come around eventually. I guess he doesn’t want to lose a good fighter.”

    Hunk turned to face him, a dazed look in his eyes. “So is Lotor like...your evil dad or something? Are you gonna rule the world together?” What? Oh, duh. Shiro kicked himself mentally. He should've waited until after he was done explaining to feed. “And why do I feel high?” 

    “It’s uh, kind of complicated,” Shiro began, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck, “I don't know how it works exactly. But when we bite people, we help them release endorphins and stuff that, combined with the blood loss, makes them feel...good? It’s so they come back.”

    Hunk nodded along with a dumb smile. Yeah, didn’t look like he got any of that. “So am I like...gonna imprint on you now? Like am I gonna be your undead servant?”

    “What? No. Like you said, you just feel kind of high for a while.”

    “Oh, right...” Hunk seemed hopelessly lost. Shiro decided it was best to change the subject.

    “Look, why don’t we just get on the couch and put a movie on, I’ve still got an hour or so before I can leave.” He said the last part with a disdainful look towards the closed curtain. Fuck summer.

    “Sounds good!” Hunk stood up and walked, teetering slightly, over to the sofa. When Shiro took his seat next to him, the giddy human laid down across his lap.

    Shiro wanted protest, really, but Hunk was clearly still out of it and had on a dopey grin that was...honestly pretty cute. He let it slide. For now.

    Time passed and eventually Hunk started to sober up. “Hey, I never asked, how old are you?” he asked during a slow scene.

    “Um...” Shiro did some quick math. “Forty. I mean technically I’m twenty three, but you probably meant my actual age.”

    “What?” Hunk sat up, staring at Shiro in disbelief. “You're like the youngest vampire ever!”

    “What does that even mean?”

    “Vampires are always like three hundred years old and shit!”

    Shiro blinked incredulously. “They — they have to be young at some point. People are being turned every day. It’s not like being a vampire suddenly makes you into some Victorian poet or something.”

    “No way, so most of you are that young?”

    “Probably. From what I understand, every few decades some humans get smart and try and kill us all off. Lotor’s actually the oldest one I know — if he’s not lying.”

    “That sucks, I was hoping I’d get to introduce you to cell phones and the internet and shit.”

    Well, that was just ridiculous. “Okay, even if I was hundreds of years old, why would I not know what those were?”

    Hunk just shrugged and made an “I don't know” noise.

    Shiro was about to continue when his eyes caught the clock. 8:42. It was probably safe to go outside now. He stood up and walked over to the curtains to check. Throwing them open revealed the outside world was bathed in the purplish hues of dusk. Finally, it was time.

    He turned back to Hunk who seemed...disappointed? “Hey,” Shiro began, “Thanks for, well, everything. I don't think I would've made it without you.”

    “But since it's night time, you've gotta go fight your vampire war.” Hunk finished.  

    Shiro nodded. “Someone has to stop Lotor, and I think at this point I’m the only one who can.” He pulled open the door, giving Hunk a final wave goodbye over his shoulder.

    “Hey, wait!” Hunk practically jumped off the couch, running after him. Shiro looked back towards his human friend, raising an eyebrow. “You said he had an army. You’re obviously gonna need some help. What if — ”

    Shiro shook his head and held up a hand to stop him. “No, no, I know where this is going. You can’t.”

    “Why not? It’s  _ my _ species he wants to destroy and considering how things shook out the last time you fought, you could use all the help you can get.” 

    Shiro chewed his lip; he didn’t have much of an argument against that. 

    “You at least need a place to stay,” Hunk continued. “And I was...kind of warming up to the idea of a vampire roommate.”

    “That sounds like a bad sitcom.”

    “But it could work! Besides, where else do you have to go? You said yourself they kicked you out of their caves or whatever. You’re gonna need to hide somewhere when the sun comes up.”

    Shiro thought for a moment, looking at the slowly setting sun in the distance. “You’re right.” He sighed. “I do need to leave for tonight though, the guys on my side are probably looking for me. We’re gonna have to regroup and think of a plan. I’ll be back in the morning.”

    “I’ll leave the door unlocked.” Hunk grinned.

    Shiro started to leave but stopped himself, turning back as the door started to close. “Thank you, again. Thanks so much. You really don’t understand how much I owe you.”

    Hunk waved his comments off with a smile. “You can pay me back by doing chores and saving the human race. Better get going though, nights are short this time of year.” 

    Shiro waved one final time before he set off, leaving Hunk alone to fully realize what he had just gotten into.

    In one day, a matter of hours really, a whole new world had been revealed. Hunk wanted to help. He had to, humans were  _ his _ people! But he had no idea where to start. He needed to arm himself somehow. He needed to tell his friends. Most importantly, he needed to get more silver.


End file.
